Secrets
by PrincessDOOM
Summary: Lissa struggles to decide what to do when she realizes that Rose is jealous of the love that she and Christian share. Can she break up with him to keep Rose happy? She doesn't want to hurt her best friend, especially since Rose has dedicated her life to serving Lissa as her guardian, but is she willing to hurt Christian to avoid causing Rose pain?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first VA story...(It's probably only gonna go to 2-3 chapters) so please let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, only the plot. All characters belong to Richelle Mead :)**

 _Lissa Pov:_

I may not actually be able to read her mind, but give me some credit. I am her best friend after all, and I can tell when she's jealous.

Christian tangles his fingers in mine and presses a kiss to the back of my hand. I can't help the easy smile that spills onto my face. "See you later?"

"Sure, Babe. Dinner?" I glance at Rose. I promised I'd eat with her tonight.

"Um. How about breakfast tomorrow?" I step closer to him and smile.

He grins back. "Alright, Liss. See you then." With a quick kiss on my cheek, he ambles away. I turn back to Rose. She's staring across the lawn at Dimitri, who is talking with Guardian Alto. And she's got that look in her eyes. _No way._ How on earth did I not realize that before? She has a crush on Dimitri.

"You _could_ talk to him?" I suggest, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Talk to who?" She asks, all innocent.

"A certain gorgeous guardian over there." I grin at her.

"Ew. I never would have guessed you had a thing for Stan." She smirks at me. "Better not tell Chrissy."

I roll my eyes. She thinks she's _so_ funny. "Ha. Ha. You know who I meant."

A glint of pain flashes through her eyes, but quickly disappears. "Dimitri? Cause he's a bit uptight for me don't you think?" She smirks again.

"It's so ridiculously unfair that you get to live inside my head whenever you want, and I have to guess at what you're feeling!"

"Yeah? Well, I _have_ to live inside your head sometimes when I'd really rather be just about anywhere else!"

Seriously. "Like I enjoy having you spying on Christian and me all the time?"

"Hey, if you'd just let me die, it wouldn't be a problem," she says, her voice suddenly flat. I flinch. Did she actually just go there?

"Rose —"

"Look, I've gotta go." She stalks off, leaving me — well, I'm not mad exactly, but still. What's wrong with her? And it's not like she wouldn't know if I talk to someone about it.

When she doesn't show up for dinner, I start really freaking out. My phone buzzes.

"Hey, Christian, are you okay?"

"What? Oh. Yeah. Are you?"

"I don't know. Rose didn't meet me for dinner. And she was upset earlier. Do you think I did something?"

"C'mon Liss, Rose is your best friend, as much as I dissaprove, and you'd never do anything to hurt her."

"Well, not on purpose! But what if I said something?"

"Look, even if you did, she'll forgive you if you talk to her, so don't freak out. Besides, she probably just slept through dinner, knowing her."

I laugh. "Yeah, and then she'll be up in the middle of the night looking for donuts. Wait, why did you call?"

"Do I need an excuse to call my girlfriend?"

I smile. "Probably."

"True. Well, Aunt Tasha invited us for Thanksgiving."

"Really?" Tasha's the best. She knows holidays are hard for me since my family died, so it's sweet of her to invite me. "What about Rose?"

"She's invited too! And Dimitri, but he already said no, cause he has guardian stuff."

"That'll be so fun, Chris! I'm sure Rose will come. I mean, there'll be food after all."

"Yeah, It'll be nice to see her. And to spend some quality time with you."

"You're the best!"

"I know. See you tomorrow?"

"Yep, I guess I'll go find Rose. Goodnight."

"Night, Liss."

I decide to go find some donuts before I find Rose. Considering our conversation earlier, I may need a peace offering. I hear a bang, and Rose curses. I push open the door without knocking.

"Rose, what's wrong?" She hastily wipes tears from her cheeks. She never cries. I set the donuts on the bed and wrap my arms around her.

"Nothing. I'm fine, just in a bad mood."

"You missed dinner," I accuse. "So I had to look all over for you and then eat by myself."

She sniffs. "I figured you'd just go out with Christian."

"I wanted to spend some time with my bestie, Rose." I squeeze her. "I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I know you don't really like the bond much more than I do."

She shrugs. "It is helpful sometimes."

I meet her eyes. "Okay, so what's wrong?"

She sighs. "You were right I guess. I like Dimitri, but he's my mentor, so it's not like we can be together. It's stupid. I just — well, sometimes I wish someone loved me. That I could have a life with someone." She pauses, looking alarmed. "Not that I would give up being your guardian for the world. Honestly, I wouldn't, Lissa."

"I'm so sorry, Rose. But, who says you can't be loved? Lots of people love you. Lots of people would kill to be your boyfriend!" I see it in her face. 'But Dimitri wouldn't.' "Besides, we'll graduate soon anyway, and he won't be your mentor anymore! It's only a few months, and I know it stinks, but you'll get through it!"

She has a far away look in her eyes. What am I missing? "Thanks, Lissa. You're amazing, you know that? Now, let me at those donuts!"

 **AN: What did you think? Should I keep going?**

 **xx**

 **PrincessDoom :)**


	2. Chapter 2--What to do?

**Part 2:**

"What do you think I should do?" I moan to Christian, after relaying my conversation with Rose. I know I shouldn't really have told him, but I didn't know what else to do. I haven't seen her like this in a long time. And I get that she's impatient, or maybe unsure whether he likes her back or not, but she seems really down.

"Uh, nothing?" He slides his arm around me. "Look, it sucks, but she's gonna get over it eventually."

I lean my head against his shoulder. He smells heavenly. "Christian, you have to understand that this is my _best friend_. And to make matters worse, she's literally offered to spend her whole life protecting me!"

"That's worse because?"

I smack his arm. "Because I'm hurting her! Whenever I feel strong emotions, she gets sucked into my head, you know cause of the bond. So when I'm around you….well, sometimes she is too. And when she sees how happy I am, it makes her wish she could have that too."

He grimaces. "That's not freaky at all."

"Yeah. Sometimes she gets mad that I keep dragging her into my mind, but I can help it! And I don't want her in my mind. It destroys the basic right of privacy, you know?" He rubs circles into my wrist with his thumb.

"I can't even imagine having Rose in my head."

I smirk. "Yeah, I bet you'd just randomly think of all the possible ways to murder someone just in the hopes she was listening."

"Huh. You should do that. It'd probably really freak her out coming from you."

"We're straying from the topic."

"Right. What to do about Rose. She and Dimitri are going to be your future guardians, Lissa. They can't be distracted by each other. Rose knows that, so that's probably why she doesn't talk to him about it. I mean, the whole mentor/student thing isn't enough to keep Rose from doing anything. She's already broken every other rule around here."

No. No no no no no. Of course. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, she would be able to do whatever she wants. She could be happy. I am ruining the happiness of my best friend.

"Look, Liss. Rose was serious, she wouldn't give up being your guardian for the world. Because she loves you. She's not sacrificing her life for you, you are just a big part of her life. Being your guardian is what she wants. And don't think of it as being your fault." There he goes, reading me again. "It's your fault she's alive in the first place."

"My fault?"

"I mean, if it weren't for you, she'd be dead. You saved her life."

I moan. "What if she hates me?"

"I think we've been over this, Lissa. She doesn't hate you."

"She should," I whisper, feeling suddenly vulnerable. "You know she takes the darkness from me? If I wasn't around, she wouldn't be so miserable."

He slides my hands into his. "She loves you, Liss. How could anyone not? You are amazing and beautiful and kind and generous and you care so much. I know you're trying to help her, but don't take it over the top." Over the top? I'm hurting her, Christian! Being with you is hurting her! I can live like this I can't do this to her. But how can I hurt Christian? He meets my gaze with those mesmerizing eyes. "It's going to be okay." I nod slowly. What am I doing?!

"I should go talk to her about Thanksgiving at Tasha's."

He nods. "Yeah. Yeah, we leave tomorrow night."

"Oh, I didn't realize it was so soon! I have to pack!" He grins at me. Probably laughing at my enthusiasm. He just doesn't understand the beauty of clothing. I stand to leave, but he slides his arm around my waist. "Christian?" Half a smile plays around his mouth, and he leans down and kisses me. His lips are so soft. I shiver, and he steps back, grinning at the effect we have on each other.

I jog back to the dorm. Rose is finishing off the donuts I brought her yesterday. I'm surprised she didn't eat them all yesterday. "You're back early."

She shrugs. "Yeah. Dimitri and I finished a bit sooner than usual." Her word are laced with pain. I'd noticed her getting moodier, but since Victor kidnapped me, she's definitely been worse.

"Does this have something to do with Victor?" A strange look passes her face. Was that — guilt? That's got to be a first.

"No. I mean, I hate what he did, but no. Why aren't you with Christian? Not that I mind or anything, but he looked disappointed that you were leaving."

I frown. How much did she hear? "You were in my head again?"

"Yeah. You had a moment. Did he kiss you right before that? That's what it looked like." I breath a sigh of relief that she doesn't know we were talking about her. "Wait? What are you keeping from me, Liss." Bother. She knows how I'm feeling. I think fast.

"Oh. Um. Nothing really, just that Tasha Ozera invited me for Thanksgiving."

She forces a smile, probably feeling how glad I am to go. "That's great, Liss."

I giggle. " _And,_ she invited you too!"

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, and I told Christian you were sure to say yes."

"Why?" She narrows her eyes at me.

I laugh. "Because it's Thanksgiving and you are a very grateful person," I say, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Right."

"Okay, because it's Thanksgiving and there will be lots of food."

"You know me so well."

"So that's a yes?" Like I'm going to let her stay home.

"Yeah. But only for you and the food. Tell Christian I don't plan on talking to him this weekend." She flops down on the bed.

I raise my eyebrow at her, delighting that I can do _something_ she can't do. "Really, Rose."

"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not exactly fond of him. Now, you are disturbing my sleep."

I snicker. "You haven't even started sleeping yet."

She opens one eye. "My point exactly."

"Right, sleep well. We're leaving tomorrow night."

"Mmhhmm." I slip out, wishing I knew what to do. Maybe she's fine? I remember the look on her face when she asked if Christian kissed me. Ugh. She's not fine.

 **A/N: For the two of you beautiful people who reviewed...THANK YOU!3**

 **What did you all think? Your reviews will make my day :)**

 **God bless you all!**

 **xx~ PrincessDoom**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/n: Hey everybody! I tried a Rose pov, so let me know what you think! I'll probably do a few more Lissa and maybe a Dimitri or Christian in later chapters.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own any of the characters :( It's a rough life.**_

 **Part 3:**

 _Rose pov_

Lissa digs through my closet, neatly piling my clothes into a suitcase. I yawn and scootch my back up against the pillow. "You realize we don't have to leave until tonight?"

"You realize you have classes and training all day and won't have time to pack later?" She says, shaking her head at me.

"Packing is over-rated." With a groan, I roll out of bed. Since I'm already awake, I may as well surprise Dimitri by being on time for once. I pull on a pair of yoga pants that reach my calves and a baggy T-shirt, while Lissa prattles on about how big Christian said Tasha's house is and what she's gonna wear. Her life is so uncomplicated.

I kick myself for even thinking that. Her entire family died, and I'm jealous. I'm such a brat.

"Thanks, Liss. Wait, what's the dress for?"

"You know, just in case."

I laugh. "Just in case I need a prom dress?"

"Well, we might go to a club or something." Oh. So that you and Chrissy-boy can kiss in the corner and leave me by myself. Maybe I don't want to drink myself into a stupor for once. Who am I kidding, I'd love to drink until I can't feel this knot in my stomach. Until I can't hate myself for loving him. Until I don't hate myself for wishing Lissa weren't so obnoxiously happy.

"Okay. I have to get to training. See you in class?"

"Yup, see you then!" She sounds falsely cheery.

Dimitri is lying on a workout mat, reading one of those gross westerns he loves. That's one thing about him I have no hope of understanding. His hair is fanned out around his perfect face. He's so absorbed in the book that he doesn't even look up when I walk in. I nudge his ribs with my foot.

"Hey, Comrade." He jumps, and I smirk. "That interesting?"

He jumps up in one swift motion. "I didn't expect you'd be here for another ten minutes. You're only five minutes late."

I wag my finger at him. "Expect the unexpected." I pause, considering. "Lissa woke me up."

He raises one eyebrow. "Were you expecting her?" Ha. Ha. I punch him lightly in the arm. Our eyes meet when my hand brushes his skin, and I abruptly remember the night Lissa was kidnapped. A shiver races down my spine, but he steps away, breaking the connection. I feel myself sag.

"Twelve laps." I can see in his face that he doesn't want to be running any more then I do. I feel his eyes on me as I bend to tighten my shoelaces.

"Alright, Comrade." I plaster on a sparkly smile that I know he can see right through, and march out to the track. I set off fast, hoping the running will distract me. It doesn't, considering that the thing I'm trying not to think about is running right next to me. By the time we get back, I'm sticky and irritable. "We could run less," I suggest, picking up my water bottle.

"When you can't fight, you run. So you need to be ready."

"If I am unable to fight, I doubt I'll be able to do much running. And, if I'm with Lissa, she won't be faster than a Strigoi, even if I am."

He nods. "It would be better if the Moroi trained too. At least so that they could run." But most of them are too lazy. They'd rather risk _our_ lives. "Let's spar."

I nod. We start on the mat, circling each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. His lip twitches ever so slightly, I duck. Wisely. His fist slams the air above my shoulder. I kick him in the gut, taking advantage of him being off balance. He catches my ankle, knocking me onto my back, before straddling me on the floor. I groan and roll my shoulders a little. He gently places his hand over my heart.

"Dead." Exactly. My heart is dead. Or it would be except that he's still looking at me, his perfect face hovering so close to mine. We're both breathing fast now, and I can't help myself. Pushing up on one elbow, I kiss him. He responds instantly, cupping my chin in his hand. Sparks run through me. " _Roza_ ," he murmurs. Slowly, he pulls away and collapses on the mat next to me.

"We have to stop doing this, Rose. We — we can't." I fight the tears pooling in my eyes. I need him, and he keeps pushing me away. _It's to keep Lissa safe_. She's what's important here, not me. "You're only seventeen." He runs a hand through his silky hair.

"I didn't get to choose when I was born," I spit, forcing myself to be angry instead of sad. I don't deal well with sad.

He sits up. "It's not your fault. It's just how it is."

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" I barely breath the words, but by the look in his eyes, he heard me.

"Doing this to you? You're doing it to us! It takes control, Rose. Something you have very little of."

"What? Because I'm only seventeen?"

"You are young and naive. You know there are boundaries, so why do you keep pushing them."

I sit up and lean towards him, so that my breath ruffles his hair. "You know I was never good with boundaries." My lips are so close to his. I can feel how much he wants to kiss me, but I pull away slowly, watching his eyes. "Control."

"I think you've trained enough for today," he says stiffly. "Have a good Thanksgiving." And he walks out, leaving me on the floor by myself. As much as I fought them earlier, I can't keep the tears back now. Peeling off my clothes, I step into the shower and let the pounding water drown out my sobs.

 **A/N: Yay! So many views! Thank you all for reading!**

 **And a special thank you to those of you who followed/ favorited! I'm so glad you're enjoying this so far. I think it's going to be longer than I thought...**

 **Anyway...PLEASE REVIEW! I love to hear from you all!**

 **xx**

 **PrincessDoom :?j**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN- Hi everyperson! Thank you all so much for reading! We're back to Lissa for this one. Please let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you :)**

 **Lissa POV:**

Eddie taps my shoulder. "Hey Lissa, you talked to Rose lately?"

I shake my head. "I haven't seen her since this morning, why?"

"She got in a fight with Jesse."

Not again. "Why?"

He smirks. "Like Rose needs a reason to beat up Jesse."

"Fair point. Is she okay?"

"More like is _he_ okay. But yeah, I don't think she got a scratch on her." No kidding, she could take Jesse any day.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Well, she's supposed to be emptying all of the trash cans at the academy, so she could be anywhere by now." I send her a quick text, but she doesn't answer.

"Alright, I'll go find her. Thanks, Eddie." I set off across the sidewalk, my heels clicking against the pavement. I guess it's a good thing I packed for Rose, since she'll definitely be busy this afternoon. I pull out my phone. Why isn't she answering me? Urg. I walk smack into something.

"Ouch. Sorry!" I look up. "Oh, hey Guardian Belikov."

"Hello, Princess."

I wrinkle my nose. "Just Lissa, please."

"Right. Lissa." What does Rose see in him? I mean besides him being gorgeous. Does he ever smile?

"Have you seen Rose?" I ask.

He looks a little surprised. "I haven't seen her since this morning. Why?"

"She...um." Wait….should I let her tell him?

"Lissa?"

I sigh. "Eddie said she beat up Jesse Zeklos." His jaw tightens. "I'm not sure why, I mean, he always deserves it, but still. Did something happen this morning that she'd be upset?"

"And you don't know where she is now?" Wow. Just ignore my question why don't you.

"Eddie said Alberta made her empty all of the Academy's trash cans, so she could be anywhere around here." He pushes past me wordlessly. "Dimitri?"

He turns around. "What?" There's something hard in his eyes.

"I, um, I think it might be better if I talk to her." Our eyes meet, and a flash of understanding crosses his face.

He nods stiffly. "If you need me, just let me know."

"Okay." I trot off. Where is she?

******************************17.8 minutes later***************************************

"Rose?"

"I'd stay away if I were you. The fumes will probably do permanent damage to your sensitive nose. Or to anyone's nose." She was right, I was practically gagging.

"What even is that?"

"I think some class was dissecting frogs."

"Ew!" That's actually nasty.

She giggles. "You know you drink _blood_ to stay alive right?"

I frown at her. "Not the same thing."

"Right."

"Okay. Why'd you attack Jesse?"

She looks like she just ate a lemon. "Need we discuss this right now, Your Highness?" I cross my arms. "Fine….He was making fun of Janine. Not that I should care, but C'mon, she is my mother."

"So you punched him?" I ask, exasperated. She really needs some anger management.

"Well, I'm not exactly the civilized sort."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," she says, a forced smile smeared across her face. Right.

I narrow my eyes at her. "Fine. Alright then, you'd better hurry. We're leaving in three hours, and you've got to take a shower before you get in the car."

"What, you don't like my new perfume?" She waves the reeking trash bag at me, and I make a run for it. Why is she lying to me? Because it's my fault, and she knows it. And because she doesn't want me to feel like it's my fault. Why is life so complicated?

Christian sits next to me in the cafeteria. "Ooh. We get red goo instead of green gunk! We should celebrate."

"I think it's tomato sauce. Or possibly very expired tomato soup." I squint at the ominous concoction the academy has the nerve to call food.

"We could always just wait till we get to Tasha's to eat?"

"Yeah, and while we're there we should just eat enough to last us until Christmas, that way, we never have to eat this again."

"Sounds like a plan." Despite this declaration, he licks a bit of the goo off his spoon. "Liss, this is fowl."

"Try the roll. It's tasteless."

"Perfect."

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Good. It'll be good to see Tasha. She's the only family I've got left, you know?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to see her either! And to have a break from school. It sucks not having specialized yet." He squeezes my hand and goes back to inspecting his….well, it might qualify as food.

"So, I heard Rose knocked some sense into Zeklos today." He smirks. "Never thought I'd say this, but I almost feel sorry for the guy."

"You don't happen to know the details? She didn't really want to talk about it."

"She was walking out of the gym, and he came up behind her with some of his minions and started talking about what a crappy mom and guardian Janine is. Rose ignored him for a while, and just as he was gonna leave, she turned around and punched him in the face. She decided to follow that up with a knee to the crotch and a trip to Alberta's office."

I put my head on the table and moan. "No wonder she was mad." He checks his phone.

"Hey, we have to go in thirty-one minutes, so we should probably get your stuff in the car."

"Good idea. We can get Rose's too, so she can shower." We hurry back, and I try to stop worrying about Rose and just enjoy this moment, walking through the crisp fall air with Christian's hand in mine. We climb up the uneven steps. I trip on the top one, so Christian has to catch me.

"You should be more careful," he whispers, his breath rustling my hair. I lean back against him, and his arms tighten around my waist. More careful. I know. More careful not to hurt my best friend. Not to feel anything too strongly. Is that the price I have to pay?

Together we drag the suitcases down the stairs and outside.

"How much did you put in here? You do realize we're only going for four days, right?"

I giggle. "And this only my makeup bag!" His eyes widen, and he glances nervously down at the bulky suitcase in his hand. "I'm kidding, Chris." He shakes his head. "I have my shoes in there too."

"You're insane, Liss."

"Just another thing you love about me," I tease, setting Rose's bag down. He turns abruptly and brushes my hair out of my eyes.

"I love everything about you, Vasilisa Dragomir." I kiss him even though he used my deeply-despised full name, and he kisses me back, winding his fingers through my hair.

 **AN: Did you like it?**

 **And guess what? I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST! YAAAAYYYY!**

 **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW...haha love you guys...**

 **xx**

 **Princess Doom**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Lissa Pov**_

I shriek when I see Tasha's house. It's gigantic! Not that my house wasn't huge too, but it's been a long time since I've stayed somewhere so fancy. Rose plugs her ears.

"Really, Liss?" I just beam at her and press my nose against the window. "You said she has a mini bowling alley?"

"Yeah. It's pretty fun, you know, for those of us with skills." Christian smirks at Rose, who pointedly ignores him.

"Well, I can't wait." Rose and I are cramped in the back seat with all of our stuff...my stuff. Christian offered to sit back here with me, but Rose is smaller so here we are under a pile of things I most definitely needed to take with me. Really, I packed light. Only seven pairs of shoes and nine outfits — not counting the three dresses of course. It's not _that_ bad.

Our driver finally pulls to a stop at the end of the drive, and we pile out. Rose tips her head back to see the whole house. I can tell she's impressed. How could someone not be? It's a beautiful old place, built almost entirely of stone. We're in the middle of an ancient forest in the mountains, and everything is gorgeous. The front door swings open, and Tasha runs down the steps.

"Christian!" She hugs him and presses a quick kiss to his cheek. She links her arms through mine and Rose's and leads us inside, chattering about how excited she was that we were here. "It's too bad Dimka couldn't be here though," she pouts. "Guardian duties and all that. I hope he knows how much I've missed him."

"Well, he could've had off if he really wanted to, but he volunteered to stay and watch the students. He makes time for what's important to him," Rose says, eyeing Tasha. As in, Tasha isn't important to him? Oh, burn.

"I know. He's very devoted to his job and his friends and family. I mean, I practically grew up with him, after all."

"Is anyone else coming for Thanksgiving dinner?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Nope. Just us this year. I invited a few others, but they already had plans." She smiles. "It's so sweet of you to come, Lissa. I do get a bit lonely up here, especially on the holidays when my friends are busy with their families."

I nod. "I know the feeling."

Rose snorts. "Well, except that your friends don't have much in the way of family either." _At least your family isn't dead!_ I send through the bond. "But at least you all have some good memories to go with the bad," she says. Like having good memories is better than having living parents... Parents who don't spend any time with you ever. She doesn't even know her dad. Fine. She has a point, but that was low anyway.

"Christian, will you show the ladies their rooms?"

"Sure, Aunt Tasha. What ladies?" He glances around and shrugs. I poke him, and he grins. "Alright, come on." He leads us up a wide spiral staircase. The floors are dark wood and I love them. Rose's room is the second door on the left. I giggle when we walk in — the room is entirely rose themed.

"Really, Christian?" she asks, waving her hands the the rose colored walls and the roses embroidered on the quilt and curtains.

"Hey, Tasha picked it, not me! Now get settled in." She glares at him but drops her stuff on the bed. I squeeze her hand before following Christian down the hall. He takes me three more doors down. "What do you think?"

I glance around at the room. "It's fit for a princess," I say, smiling.

"I was hoping, considering that you are a princess."

I groan. "Don't remind me." He joins me by the window.

"Okay, what are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving?"

"The Academy."

He raises his eyebrows. "What? You've got to be kidding me?"

I laugh. "I'm serious, Chris. Because that's where I met all of my best friends."

"Speaking of, how's Rose doing?"

"Well, I know it's not unlike her to attack Jesse, but she was doing so well at keeping herself under control. And then she snapped."

He nods, thoughtful. "And she's seemed more irritable than usual."

"I think something must have happened this morning, but when I asked Guardian Belikov, he just blew me off."

Christian scowls. I'm always surprised at how quickly he switches from happiness to such dark anger. "He ignored you?"

"It's not a big deal."

"You are the heir to the throne, and he just ignored your direct question?" It's adorable when he wants to protect my honor, but this one, he can let go.

"Christian." His gaze snaps up to mine. "Let it go." He's already shaking his head. "Christian?"

"What?"

"Kiss me." His eyes flick back to my face. "Just kiss me." I look from his eyes to his lips and back again. Slowly, the anger fades from his face. He's so close now that I can feel his breath against my lips. His eyes flutter shut.

 _Bang!_ The door slams open. "Lissa, do you have my — Oh. Sorry." Christian pulls away but slides an arm around my waist turning to face Rose with his typical cocky smile. Not helping.

"Your what?"

"Um," she glances distractedly from Christian to me again. "My, um, hairbrush. I can't find it."

"Maybe. The doorman guy hasn't brought up all of my bags yet."

"Okay. I guess I'll just be in my room."

"No, wait! Stay with us."

She looks from me to Christian again. "Nah, that's okay. I'm gonna unpack the rest of my clothes. I need to hang some stuff up." She hurries out.

"I can't stand this, Chris." I can't. Why can't she just be happy that I'm happy? _Wow. How selfish can you be, Liss._ But I don't know how to make her feel better! If I were her, I'd be pretty miserable too. Am I a horrible person to be happy when she's so not?

 **AN: Hey everyone! What did you think? What kind of Tasha do you guys want?**

 **Please review! I love to hear from you guys!**

 **xx**

 **PrincessDOOM**


	6. Chapter 6-- Crashing Hearts

**Christian POV:**

Lissa seems so out of it. Distracted. I know Rose is hurting, but Lissa is hurting for her. It sucks, but Rose is tough, and even though she's been through a lot, there's nothing like losing your family. If Lissa and I can get past that kind of pain, I'm sure Rose will survive not getting to be with Dimitri. Though, if she loves him anywhere near as much as I love Lissa, it won't be easy.

Absently, I reach over and tangle my fingers in the ends of her white-blonde hair. She smiles at something on the TV screen. I forget what movie we're watching. Probably because I've been watching her, and believe me, she's far more interesting. She's so perfectly imperfect, and I can't get enough of her.

Those captivating emerald eyes. One is slightly bigger than the other. There's a tiny scar on her pinky finger. There are little tooth marks where she always chews her lip. Her teeth are a bit off white. And she's gorgeous. I know she gets insecure sometimes. She's afraid she isn't beautiful enough, or she's afraid I expect her to be more than she is. But I _love_ her. Everything about her. I don't know what I wouldn't do for her. Anything. I just want her to be happy, and I know that matters more than anything else.

The movie ends.

"What?"

I tilt my head. "I didn't say anything."

"No, but you've been staring at me for the past half hour." I light smile tugs at the corners of her mouth.

"You're more interesting than the TV." She flushes a little, and I grin.

"If I asked you to do something for me, would you do it?"

If anyone else asked me that, I'd be scared. But it's Lissa. "Yes."

Her eyes twinkle. "Hmm. Now I can make you do whatever I want you to!"

"You already could." Something changes in her face.

"Well, I asked you to do something earlier, and you never did." She pouts a little. What was it?

"Please tell me you didn't ask me to go shopping?"

She laughs and pokes me in the ribs. "Nope. We were sitting by my window…."

Her face goes serious again. It's dark in here, except for the glow of the TV, lighting her pale skin. Slowly, I lean forward, and taking her face in my hands, I brush my lips against hers. She shivers, and I can't help smiling under her kiss. Suddenly, she jerks away, and falls back against the couch.

"What am I doing?"

I run my thumb over her bottom lip. "Kissing your incredibly handsome boyfriend."

"I can't. I can't risk dragging Rose into this again." She closes her eyes. "I just can't."

I frown at the television. "So I can't ever kiss you again?"

"I can't hurt her just to make myself happy, Christian! She's done everything for me. It's my fault she can't be with Dimitri, and you know it! I _won't_ make this any worse for her."

"I know you love her, Liss, but you can't stop caring for yourself or anyone else."

"I have to," she chokes out. No. Lissa, please.

"Lissa. There has to be another way."

"Do you think I haven't thought this through? I spend every second either stressing about it or trying not to think about it, and I can't live this way. I don't want to do this, Chris. Believe me, I don't." Tears are trickling down her cheeks, and I'm already shaking my head. She can't do this to me. "But I have to! I — I love you, Christian, but I just can't hurt her. We have to break up."

"You love me." It comes out flat. Broken. She covers her mouth with her hand, crying harder. "Should I understand this, Liss?" My voice is a hoarse, pleading whisper.

"No. I don't expect you to. Just please don't make this harder for me. Don't hate me."

I reach out and wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I couldn't hate you, Love."

She nods, swallowing hard. "Don't tell her why." Why my beautiful girlfriend is leaving me.

"I won't." Tears are pressing the backs of my eyes. "I should go."

"Christian?"

"Yeah."

"I'm so sorry." Not have as sorry as I am. I don't answer. I can't.

I run into Tasha on the stairs. "Hey, Christian, want some dinner?"

"I'm not that hungry, thanks though."

She laughs. "What? Christian not hungry? I guess miracles do exist." I force an easy smirk onto my face.

"I'm just gonna go for a walk, okay?"

"Sure. Can I come with you?" I really just need a minute. Or a decade.

"Okay." She grins, oblivious to my misery.

"I've missed you!"

"You too," I mumble. Her phone rings, saving me from further conversation.

"Hello?...Dimitri! Hi! How are you?...Really?...I mean, yes, of course!...Okay, I'll see you then!" She hangs up and turns on me, practically glowing.

"Dimitri's coming?"

"Yes! Can you believe it? He said he managed to get off, so he'll be here by tomorrow morning for Thanksgiving!"

"You'd better make more food. The man's a human garbage disposal." This is just perfect. Exactly what we need.

"You're right! I'm gonna run to the store, okay?"

"Yeah, have fun." She grins again and runs off to find her keys. I wander around for a while longer, lingering by the fountain.

"What are you doing out here?" I spin around.

"Oh. Hey, Rosie. Just watching the fountain. It's relaxing."

"Huh. I'd think it'd be scary for you, Pyro. Water beats fire, ya know." I plop down on a bench. I'm not in the mood for Rose right now. "What's your problem? No comeback, really?"

"Lissa just dumped me," I snarl. "So, I'm not exactly in the mood."

Shock washes over her face. "What? Are you serious? She kicks a rock and curses under her breath. "You guys were so perfect."

"I thought you'd be thrilled to be rid of me."

"Well, I thought she was happy."

"You and me both." I rest my head in my hands.

"I guess I should go see how she's doing."

"Okay. Oh, and guess what?"

"What?"

"Dimitri's coming tomorrow." I thought she might be happy, but I wasn't prepared for the way her entire face lit up. Why is everyone in love with Dimitri? He's gonna break Tasha's heart. Or Rose's. Probably both. And broken hearts really suck. It feels like I have led in my stomach. I'm torn between wanting to go find some alcohol and drink until this feeling disappears, and staying out here to avoid running into Lissa. She runs off. I hope she can cheer Lissa up. I hate it that she's hurting. The bush next to me bursts into flame. And then another and another. I can barely control it. The fire is consuming me, but every bit I release seems to lighten the weight in my heart.

 **AN: Hey loves, what did you all think? Kinda crazy right?**

 **Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter up in the next few days, but I post as I write, so we'll see.**

 **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Love hearing from you all :)**

 **I know this ended on a sad note, but no worries, Listian is endgame :)**

 **xx**

 **PrincessDOOM**


	7. Chapter 7Visitor?

**Disclaimer: I've asked and asked, but Richelle Mead still won't give me Vampire Academy...so no I don't own it :(**

 **Lissa Pov:**

I break down the second he leaves, the sobs shaking my whole whole body. Once I'm sure he's gone, I drag myself off the couch and run to my bedroom to throw myself on my bed and cry some more. Every time I think of the look on his face when I told him I loved him, my heart hurts a little more. A lot more.

Rose bursts in. "What did he do and do you want me to go beat him up for you?" I just shake my head and flop back onto the bed in a flood of tears. "Seriously, Lissa, you broke up with him?"

"Yeah." I frantically push tears from my cheeks, smearing my makeup.

"Why?"

I can't tell her. I also can't lie to her, since she'll probably be able to tell. "I don't want to talk about it," I mumble.

"Lissa Dragomir doesn't want to talk about something? What a day. I don't get it though. I mean, you were happy. And I would know."

"Can you please help me think about something else? Tell me some good news."

She frowns, thinking. "I don't know if this counts as good news, but Dimitri's coming tomorrow for Thanksgiving."

I sit up. "What?"

"Yeah. He called Tasha a few minutes ago."

"Wow. What changed his mind?"

"I hope to find out. I guess he managed to get off work."

Another tear licks its way down my cheek. "Hm. I really want some ice cream."

She nods. "I'll go find some."

When she leaves, I get up and walk to the window. And scream. Rose is back in an instant later. "What is it?" I motion out the window. The garden is burning. A swirling mass of black smoke rises from the once-beautiful place. Christian is in the middle of it, swaying back and forth, eyes shut, flames pouring from his hands.

"We have to stop him, come on!" I race down the stairs, Rose stumbling after me, and out into the garden. "Christian!" He doesn't even notice I'm there. I grab his blazing hands and cry out in pain. The fire sizzles out.

"Lissa! He's still rocking on his feet, but his eyes are on my face now, and he cradles my hands in his. "Your hands!"

I pull away and dunk my hands in the fountain, already channeling that water to smother the flaming plants. Christian moves next to me drawing the flames out of the garden.

"What was that, Pyro? You explode or something?"

He glances over his shoulder at Rose. "I don't know. It was like the more I burned the lighter I felt." He looks searchingly at me again. _It's for Rose. You can do this, Liss. Especially since Dimitri is coming._ Releasing a heavy breath, I turn away. I send a thought to Rose. " _What should I put on my hands, they are killing me!"_

"See what happens when you play with fire?" She says aloud. "Come on, I'll find something from the first aid kit."

Christian groans. "I'm so sorry, Liss. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Rose shoots him a glare. "Obviously, you already did, or else she wouldn't have left you." He looks as if she just slapped him in the face. I wish she'd just shut up every once in awhile.

"Rose, be nice, please."

She smirks, "Still defending him, are you?"

"No. Just still believing you should think before you say something." She rolls her eyes at me.

Whatever the white goo stuff is, It feels amazing on my burnt hands. I know Christian feels terrible, which just makes me feel worse. And of course, Rose keeps joking around and making it worse.

"I'm gonna go rest."

"You're a mess," she says bluntly.

"There's no need to rub it in."

She eyes me for a moment. "You've grown more cynical the past week."

"See ya, Rose." I leave the kitchen and have one foot on the stairs when Christian walks into the kitchen.

"Where's Lissa? Is she okay?"

"No she's not okay. If you had a little self-control, she wouldn't be hurting right now, would she?" The cruel irony.

"Funny coming from you, Hathaway."

"Seriously, though. What'd you do?"

"I don't even know," he snaps. "I guess she just has things that are more important to her than me."

"Are you okay?" she asks, abruptly deciding to be nice.

"Do I look okay? Tasha's got to have some beer somewhere in this house." I hear him opening cabinets.

"Seriously, Christian? You're gonna drink this one away? I'm sure that will make Lissa want to take you back." Something clinks against the counter.

"She's not gonna take me back."

"Why the hex not? I can see it, Christian! She still cares about you!"

"It doesn't matter!" I've never heard him yell before. Not like this. "She won't take me back." I hear the pop of a cork coming out of a bottle.

"Give me that."

"Have a drink with me, Rosie?"

"Shut up. You shouldn't drink that."

"Hypocrite."

"Yeah, yeah. It's not like I've been drinking much, and I have problems too."

"What? You lost both of your parents too? They turned into monsters? You're girlfriend dumped you because….because you weren't important enough for her? You've always been an outcast and the first person to actually accept you is finished with you now? Yeah, Rose. You've got some real problems."

"Chill, Pyro. And no. My parents are alive and well, and still don't care enough to come visit me. Or even to tell me who they freaking are! And I'm in love with a guy who doesn't love me back — who _can't_ love me back. And I almost died. But my best friend saved me, and now I keep getting dragged into her head, and taking her darkness, and I don't know what to do about it!"

"My problems were worse," Christian mutters. She smacks him.

"Fine. Let's have a drink." I stalk back into the kitchen, and they both look up guiltily.

"I"ll have one too. You both know my problems." Or at least most of them.

Tasha walks in twenty minutes later. "What are you doing?" The concern and annoyance is written all over her face. "That's my favorite wine!"

"Feel free to joins us," Rose slurrs. She's had the most. "We're drinking our problems away."

She snatches the bottles from the counter. "No more. You're all going to be hungover on Thanksgiving. Now who's going to tell me what happened to my beautiful — and very expensive, I might add — bushes?"

"Christian burned them," Rose says, giggling.

Tasha's eyes flick to his face. "Hm." She squeezes his shoulder and glances at Rose and I. I get up, since that was clearly our cue to get lost. Rose just giggles again.

"Oooh, you're in trouble!"

"Come on. Rose." I grab her arm and drag her upstairs. It's getting late so, I dig some pajamas from her drawer and toss them at her. "Get changed. It's time for bed." Thankfully, she nods, so I hurry to my room where I take a shower and head to bed.

The sun streaks through my window. I sit up, happy that the night is finally over. My eyes feel dry and itchy from crying myself to sleep, so I hurry to my bathroom to wash my face. Coming out, I find a peach coloured dress with tiny pink and yellow flowers and a pair fo grey leggings that match my fuzzy grey socks. Next, I apply light foundation and some mascara. I stall a little longer, trying to decide which perfume to wear. Mostly, I just don't want to see Christian again. It's like he doesn't get that I'm in love with him. When I broke it off, I honestly wasn't thinking I was putting Rose over him. I just knew I was putting her over me. And it's killing me whenever I think about it. I glance at the clock. 7:03. He's probably not even up yet.

Reluctantly, I open the door, and plod down the stairs. Tasha is in the kitchen.

"Good morning!" She says brightly.

"Good morning. Oh. Happy Thanksgiving! Is anyone else up?"

"Not yet."

"Um. Shouldn't Gaurdian Belikov be here soon?"

"Yes! I can't believe he decided to come. I guess Rose was right, he does make time for what's important to him!"

She's so obviously in love with him, it's a little painful. I don't know if he loves her, but if he does….Poor Rose. And if he doesn't, it sucks for Tasha. I'm pretty sure she doesn't realize that Rose likes him too though. At least there's something to be thankful for.

Christian tramps down the stairs. "Hey Aunt Tasha, Happy Thanksgiving!" He glances at me, and his smile dims. "You too, Lissa."

"Yeah. Happy Thanksgiving." _Bang. Bang._ The knock surprises me. Tasha claps her hands and rushes to the door.

"Dimitri!" She throws herself into his arms. "I'm so glad you came!" He pats her back awkwardly before delicately stepping out of her hug.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Tasha. Thank you for having me." He steps into the kitchen. "Christian, Lissa, how are you?"

We glance at each other. We're miserable, thanks for asking. "Fine," we say in unison. He glances between us, but lets it go. "I'm guessing Rose is still in bed?"

"Yeah. She was pretty drunk last night, so she's probably pretty hungover." I kick Christian under the table. Really?

He frowns. "She was drinking?"

Tasha nods. "I went to the store, and when I came back they were drinking my wine."

"Why?"

I flash him a smile. "We didn't drink much. Just lamenting our lives, since we had to get it all out before Thanksgiving."

"Right."

Just then, Rose appears in the doorway, wearing a skinny jeans, a tank top, and an army green jacket. "I'll have some advil for breakfast, please." She leans against the counter. Dimitri clears his throat, and her eyes snap to his face. "I forgot you were coming. Don't you even think about making me run. I'm on vacation."

"Hello to you to, Rose."

"Well," Tasha starts, "I have a lot of cooking to do, so if you could all clear out that'd be great. Christian, you have some gardening to do." He nods. I wish I could offer to help him, but I can't really be with him all morning without caving.

"Okay, I'm going for a walk." Rose grabs her shoes from by the door and shoves her feet inside.

"Mind if I join you?" Dimitri asks. "I've been cramped in the car all morning."

She doesn't look at him. "Fine. But no running."

 **Hey Loves! What did you think of Dimitri coming? I know Rose was happy to hear he was coming, but will she forgive him after their fight last time? Get ready for a Rose POV!**

 **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the past two chapters!**

 **xx**

 **PrincessDOOM**


	8. Chapter 8

**Rose POV —**

Why was I so excited to see him? I don't know how to act around him. Does he love me like I love him? Or am I just being naive?

He opens the door and lets me walk out in front of him. "Why are you here?" I ask bluntly.

"I was invited." The words tilt over his accent. I shiver. "Are you cold?"

"But I thought you weren't coming," I press, ignoring his question.

He looks sideways at me through those thick lashes. "I changed my mind."

"Obviously. But why?"

"I wanted to apologize." Apologize? For breaking my heart. For telling me I'm too young and naive and not worth your time?

"Don't bother," I hiss, walking faster.

"I have to." I shake my head. He continues anyway. "Because I love you."

"Stop, Dimitri! Just stop!" I start running. Because no matter how much I despise running during break, I can't stay. I can't hear him tell me he loves me only to tell me that he shouldn't.

His footsteps hit the ground behind me, and he snatches my wrist, spinning me to face him. "Please don't hate me," he whispers.

"How could I? I just hate myself for being stupid enough to fall in love with you."

"No. No, my _Roza_." The way he says my name brings tears to my eyes, and I crumple against his chest. His muscled arms tug me closer.

"I'm sorry," I whimper. "I'm sorry, I can't control this. But I get it. Honest, Comrade, I do." I feel him tremble when I use his nickname. "We can't be distracted by each other, since we'll both be Lissa's guardians."

"I kn —" He lets me go abruptly. "I have to go."

The icy air blows around me, burning it's way up my arms now that he's gone. I gasp for breath, trying to control the rush of pain in my chest. I guess I'll finish my walk now. But where is he even going? Why is he always leaving me?

 _ **Lissa Pov —**_

I drag my fingers through the hot tub, trying to decide if it's worth it to get my bathing suit on.

"Lissa?"

I turn shaking water droplets from my fingers. "Guardian Belikov, can I do something for you?"

"We're on break. You can call me Dimitri."

"Okay….Dimitri?"

He pushes a hand through his hair. "I hate to ask this, but I need a favor." Wait, Dimitri-the-Russian-god needs a favor from me? My mind is spinning with all the possibilities when he speaks again. "I need you to reassign me."

"As in, you won't be my guardian anymore?"

"I can't be. Not if Rose is too. It would be too dangerous for you, if I were to try to save her instead of you." He frowns. "I would never want anything to happen to you, Princess. Or to _Roza._ "

"I know." I'm nodding fast now, momentarily absorbed in how cute it is that he called her _Roza_. "I can do that."

"Good. Thank you. I was hoping we could ask for me to be assigned to Christian, that way Rose and I could still see each other."

I smile. "That's a good idea!"

"If he agrees to it, of course."

"I'm sure he will. Oh, I'm so happy! Should we call Alberta?" We do, and she agrees. I think she already knows about Dimitri and Rose.

Once we hang up, he's grinning. "Wait, Dimitri, how did you know I knew about you and Rose?"

"When she beat up Jesse, you asked if anything had happened that morning, and well, I figured then that you knew. Plus you're her best friend, so you were bound to find out eventually."

"Ugh, I'm so happy for you!" I narrow my eyes at him. "But if you even think about hurting her, you'll pay. I'm going to be queen, and I have my resources."

He smirks a little. Probably at the thought of me trying to take vengeance on him. "I won't hurt her."

 **Dimitri POV —**

She said yes! I can hardly wait to go tell my _Roza_! Obviously, I'm still her mentor, but she'll be graduated soon, and it won't really matter anymore. And she's mad at me. I push the door open and step back into the cold morning breeze.

"Dimka!" Tasha runs to me and twists her arm through mine. "I was just taking a quick break! I'm so glad I ran into you!"

I really want to talk to Rose. She's probably mad that I just walked away like that, but I didn't even think to guard Christian until just then, so I had to talk to the princess.

"Anyway," she continues, "How have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"I'm well. I've been busy, though."

"Hm. I just keep thinking the Moroi should be doing more. Doing something anyway. We have these powers, and we just let them go to waste while Dhampirs die!" She shakes her head. "It's just not right."

"We don't mind, Tasha. We're here to protect you. It's our lives, you know? I get where you're coming from though. If the Moroi want to fight, they should be allowed to and trained for it."

"It's not okay, but let's not talk about it. We should be grateful today of all days."

"Fine." I scan the garden, but don't see Rose. "What are you thankful for?"

She smooths my sleeve with her long fingers. "Old friends." She looks up at me with those brilliant eyes. "All the people I love. How about you?"

"My students," I say. Rose.

She laughs lightly. "Of course, you would say that. Always so devoted to your work. One of the things people love about you."

I snort. "I doubt people spend much time thinking about what they love about me."

As we turn the corner, she leans up and presses a light kiss to my cheek. "Lots of people love you, Dimka." She leans back on her heels. "Oh, hey Rose!"

I jerk to attention. Rose. Did she just see that? Because it wasn't my fault. But she wouldn't know that. Her beautiful face is a mask of icy indifference that most people can't see through. But I can, and I know she's angry and hurt and I really need to talk to her.

She nods stiffly. "Tasha. I was just going in."

"No, walk with us." The words jump out of my mouth before I can stop them. She meets my eyes.

"That's okay, Comrade. I wouldn't want to interrupt your quality time with Tasha. I know you haven't seen her in a while."

But I'd rather be with you. "It's no intrusion. She was only taking a short break anyway."

"Trying to get rid of me already?" Tasha teases.

"No, of course not, sorry."

"No, you're right, I should go in. See ya, Rose. Bye, Dimka." She waves goodbye and hurries toward the house.

" _Roza._ "

"Well, you two looked cozy," she says, keeping her face neutral.

"I was looking for you, and she just came out to talk."

"More than just talk, it would seem."

I frown. "I don't like her like that, alright?"

She crosses her arms. "What did you want?"

"To talk to you. When I left earlier, I went to talk to Lissa." She looks uninterested, but I know better. "I asked her to reassign me."

"What? Dimitri, what were you thinking!"

"I was thinking that if I were Christian's guardian, we wouldn't risk Lissa by protecting each other, but we'd still see each other."

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Yes. Alberta agreed too."

That might not work, since Christian and Lissa broke up, but hey, you'll get to see a lot of Tasha." She turns to go, but I grab her wrist.

"I love you, _Milaya_." Her dark eyes widen.

"What?" she whispers, glancing nervously up at me.

"I love you. And I can't stop."

 **AN: Hi, Loves! Did you like it? Rose and Dimitri are back together! And it looks like Christian and Lissa have a shot at getting back together too! Unless, I do something evil mwahahahaha!**

 **Sorry, it's been a tad longer than usual since I've updated, but you should be proud of me anyway because my life is absolute madness...(we have three foster children staying with us, which is both amazing and really really crazy hard...so thank God it's going alright so far)**

 **Anyway special thanks to baroness vixen for her AMAZINGLY SWEET REVIEWS :)**

 **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW (pretty please?)**

 **xx**

 **PrincessDOOM**


	9. Chapter 9

**Lissa Pov —**

I've never seen Dimitri so happy! I'm so glad for Rose, well, for both of them really. And Christian….Christian. I need to talk to him. And then I'm running, my bare feet slapping hard against the floors. Where would he be? Probably his room, if he's still upset.

I burst through the door, and stop, breathless. He's lying on his bed, but glances up when I come in. He looks searchingly at me.

"Dimitri isn't going to be my guardian anymore," I blurt out. He just looks at me. "Alberta reassigned him — to you!"

He raises his eyebrows. "To me?"

"Yeah. Because, well, because he's in love with Rose, and they can't be in love and both be my guardians and all….And he asked Alberta, and she said yes!"

"But why me?"

"Because he wanted to be close to Rose."

"I don't follow….Oh. I guess you didn't tell him that you dumped me."

"What? No. They're together now, so we don't have to not be together because Rose won't be miserable since she has Dimitri. So, I thought we could, you know…." I trail off at the blank look on his face. "Christian."

"No, Lissa. I can't." He doesn't meet my eyes.

"What?" I whisper.

"We can't get back together. I can't do it. I can't be with you, just to be tossed away when something is more important." He runs his hand through his hair. "I know, it's selfish, I do. But if I snap again? If I hurt someone again. If I hurt you? I couldn't live with myself." Tears pool in my eyes and race down my cheeks.

"Christian, please. I'm — I'm so sorry….You're right, I shouldn't have done that to you, but please don't leave me." I choke over the words, unable to express the pain I'm feeling. Finally, I understand what he must have gone through. "I love you."

He stands. "I'm sorry too, Liss." He swallows. "But we —we're done."

I run again. I can't stand here and look at him. I can't face this. I pass the fountain and keep going. I don't stop until I'm in the trees just outside of the garden. My shoulders heave with sobs, my heart hurts. I didn't know anything could feel like this. This agony. It's different than when my parents died. They loved me still. But Christian? He gave up on me.

A branch snaps behind me, and I spin around. And scream.

 **Rose Pov —**

Dimitri pulls away when I stiffen.

"What's wrong?"

"Strigoi," I gasp. "Lissa!" That's when I hear her scream. We run, faster than I've ever run before. Lissa. My lungs are screaming for air, but I have to get to her. Three Strigoi step out of the woods, fangs bared. Dimitri goes for the one on the left, and the center one jumps on him too. I take out the one on the right, only to have another take its place. I fight harder, growing desperate. I have to get to Lissa. More footsteps come behind me, and I glance over my shoulder, to find Christian and Tasha, fighting with their magic.

"I'm going to find her!" Christian calls.

"Are you mad?" Tasha says, dodging a Strigoi. "You'll get yourself killed!" But he's gone before she finishes. "Christian!"

"He knows — what he's — doing." I grunt, landing two hits on the Strigoi I'm facing. Christian better get to her, because we're surrounded now. It'll be awhile before we can escape them. I try to stay calm, to fight well, but I'm panicking over Liss. She's my best friend, if anything were to happen to her….

 **Christian Pov —**

I dart through the woods, being louder than….a pack of Strigoi, but it doesn't matter, I'll find her. I suck at following trails, but we Moroi have good noses, and I'd know Lissa's perfume anywhere.

They can't have gotten far, not yet. That's when I see it. An opening in the side of a hill, partially hidden by a tree and the heaps of dead leaves that smother the ground. There. Cautiously, I peek inside. It won't do Lissa any good to get myself killed.

It reeks of Strigoi down here, and It's dark, even for Moroi. I edge along the wall, listening.

"To think, we caught the princess, the future queen!" a Strigoi cackles. Her voice gives me the shivers. "I wonder what royal blood tastes like."

"Better than she smells, I hope," another growls. I slide closer, daring to glance around the corner. Five or six. That's a lot of Strigoi, even for someone as skilled as me. Just saying.

"Funny coming from you," Lissa laughs. "You clearly haven't bathed in...probably decade. Really fowl."

"Shut up," one of the ones holding her snarled.

"Ugh, your breath smells too." She's stalling.

"It'll probably smell better after some royal blood," he replies, eyeing her hungrily.

"I've found feeders taste better when not bruises," she says, "you could loosen up a bit." He growls something under his breath and slams her against the wall. She releases a pathetic little whimper.

"Oh, did that hurt?" He punches her in the gut, and my blood burns. I have to wait until they step away from her. I don't want to burn my princess. He turns to the others. "I say we eat her now, the others don't know we took a prisoner, so they won't know."

"Good point," the female says, rubbing her hands together. I take a deep breath, summoning all my anger, all my energy, and then I release it pushing the flames from my hands. The Strigoi's shrieks echo through the cave, but I keep burning until they stop, before sagging against the wall in exhaustion.

"Christian?" Lissa calls weakly. I drag myself upright and stumble into the next room.

"Are you alright?" I drop to my knees next to her.

"No." She leans against me, tears leaking from her beautiful eyes. "Are you? That — that was a lot of magic."

"I'm okay." I wrap my arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" she whispers, her breath warm and sweet against my cheek.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't….and then you wouldn't have run off, and I'm so sorry." I bury my face in her neck, breathing her in. What was I thinking? How can I live without her?

"It's not your fault," she murmurs. She's always trying to make me feel better. She's good at it too. I pull back a little to look at her. Her cheek is bruised, and I frown, brushing my thumb over it.

"I shouldn't have let anything happen to you. I'm supposed to protect you…."

"That's not your job. You know that."

"Yes, it is. That's what you do for the people you love."

"Do you love me?" Her eyes widen a little at the pain that floods my face.

"Do I love you?" I practically growl the words. "How could you not know that I love you?" I cup her chin in my hand. "I'm crazy in love with you. And nothing has ever felt worse or better or more…. Right." Slowly, I bend down to kiss her. Her lips meet mine, and I can taste the salt of her tears on her mouth.

"Does this mean you'll be with me again?"

I look her straight in the eye. "I'll never leave."

"Good." She kisses me again. Still kissing her, I stand up, pulling her into my arms. She winds her hands around my neck.

"Let's get out of here."

She shivers. "Okay."

I carry her back to the house, carefully. I'd imagine Dimitri and Rose have finished off the Strigoi by now, but who knows. We step into the garden just as Rose stakes the last one.

"Rose!" Lissa cries. Rose drops her stake — something no good guardian should ever do — and runs to crush Lissa in a rather awkward hug, considering that I'm still holding her.

She glances between us. "So you two are good now?"

I grin, but Lissa answers for me. "Perfect."

"Good."

I grin again. "Happy Thanksgiving everyone."

 **AN- Hey loves, thank you all so much for reading! I really liked writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy reading it!**

 **Pretty please leave a quick comment, it would honestly make my day!**

 **With no further ado, THE END...I know, I'm sad too...**

 **xx**

 **PrincessDOOM**


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